The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of providing a confocal fluorescence microscope system. After results of this market research are obtained, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a Purchase Order.If at least two qualified small business manufactures are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside.
NIST has a need for a vendor to provide and install one (1) High sensitivity, simultaneous spectral acquisition, 2-photon, inverted confocal fluorescence microscope (HS-2P-CFM) system under a lease to purchase agreement. The Materials Science and Engineering Division (MSED) will lease the HS-2P-CFM system for a base year plus two option years and may purchase the HS-2P-CFM system at the end of the final year.
This microscope system shall meet the minimum specifications:
The vendor shall lease (to purchase) and deliver a complete, turn-key fluorescence microscope (HS-2P-CFM) with:
- single-photon laser scanning confocal capabilities (405 nm, 458 nm, 488 nm, 514 nm, 543/561nm & 633 nm laser lines) simultaneous spectral acquisition
- 2-photon pulsed Ti-Sapphire laser capabilities, capable of FRET using all the following methods: sensitized emission,
- (spectral unmixing and via filter/PMT) fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), polarization/anisotrophy (homo-FRET) and time domain (or time domain and frequency domain) fluorescence life-time imaging (FLIM), or equivalent as described by Zeiss LSM-780 catalog no.: 4109001968365000 equipped with a time domain fluorescence life-time imaging system, or equivalent as described by Boston Electronics catalog no.: SIMPLE-TAU-150-DX, or time domain and frequency domain as described by ISS (FLIM spectrometer, www.ISS.com).
The vendor should also take a Zeiss 510 axioplan 2 confocal microscope in trade for partial payment of the lease and provide a microscope compatible with the Zeiss following ten objective lenses (Epiplan Neoluar, 5X 0.13, 10X, 0.3, 50X, 0.8, 100x, 0.13 oil, Plan Neoluar 40X, 1.3 oil, LD-Epiplan 20X, 0.4, C Achroplan NIR 10X, 0.8 W, 40X, 0.3, IR Achroplan 10X, 0.9 W, 10X, 0.3 W).
NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small business manufactures. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 334519, as those domestic sources having 500 employees or less. Please include your company's size classification and socio-economic status in any response to this notice.
Companies that can provide the specified microscope are requested to email product literature describing their abilities to micole.cheatham@nist.gov no later than the response date for this sources sought notice.
The product literature shall include achievable specifications and any other information relevant to the identified system.
Also, the following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice:
1. Name of the company that manufactures the system components for which specifications are provided.
2. Name of company(ies) that are authorized to sell the system components, their addresses, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address).
3. Indication of number of days, after receipt of order that is typical for delivery of such systems.
4. Indication of whether each instrument for which specifications are identified currently on one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts and, if so, the GSA FSS contract number(s).
5. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government shall consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research.

Place of Performance

The National Institute of Standards &amp, Technology (NIST) Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 United States